The markets finished 2025 on a strong note, but questions and potential headwinds exist as we head into the new year, and we’ll likely still see some volatility throughout 2026. Has AI spending created a bubble? What does history say about this current bull market continuing its run? Should …
American consumers put their stimulus checks to work last month. Retail and food service sales rose 5.3% in January, after declining 1.0% in December (Figure 1). Compared to one year ago, sales are 7.4% higher. The strong data resulted from the stimulus checks and declining virus cases. Bec …
U.S. inflation rose 0.3% last month and is now up 1.4% for the year (Figure 1). Investor concern about inflation has increased in recent months against the backdrop of large stimulus packages and hopes of an economic recovery. Pushing back against that concern is a slowly recovering labor …
Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research at Carson, and Senior Wealth Planner, Krista Thompson, break down how the right tax planning process can help you during tax season.
The U.S. employment situation remains lackluster. Only 49,000 new jobs were created in January. Unemployment dropped but only because labor force participation fell from 63.4% to 61.4% (Figure 1). As COVID-19 cases have dropped this year, some improvement is expected in coming months. Vacc …
The prices of a small set of heavily shorted stocks spiked last week as multiple factors conspired to create an intense demand for shares of some companies. The extreme move in prices has created a large gap between the current price and the price targets of even the most optimistic investors.
Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research at Carson, offers insight as our country navigates changes after the inauguration.
